Our Mission Statement:"To be the most dedicated, loyal and fearsome warriors in battle. And to support our fellow warriors with encouragement, companionship and compassion in the face of all adversity. Our primary mission is to ensure peace, tranquility and harmony for all residents of the Castle."

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The Way of the Warrior at the Castle and Beyond

"the Castle's Bushido"

1. Sacred Combat and Respect: In Aikido and other Eastern martial arts, you always bow to your opponent, as a way of expressing what your soul would like to declare: “I honor and respect you as a worthy opponent, and value the opportunity to learn and grow through this combat with you.” Honor and respect your fellow warriors but honor and respect your opponents even more for the opportunity to learn and grow.

2. Uncompromising Integrity: A warrior’s character and his/her honor are steadfast. And his/her word is bond.

3. Serve: A true warrior serves with honor on and off the battlefield.

4. Excellence: Excel as warriors through discipline and relentless will.

5. Preparation: Constantly train for battle and fight to win. Failure is never an option for the warrior. Be ready to lead at a moment’s notice.

6. Reality: A warrior is always grounded in reality. A superficial warrior cannot see how things happen, even though the evidence is everywhere. But a warrior who is centered, conscious, and grounded in reality always has the deeper understanding. The ferocious dog bites the excited warrior. The conscious and centered warrior walks by unharmed. Being centered means having the ability to recover one’s balance. A centered warrior is simply not subject to passing whims or sudden excitements.

7. Kindness: It is a known fact that the greatest martial arts are also the gentlest. They allow an adversary to fall down gently. A great warrior also does not rush into every battle. A great warrior offers his adversaries the opportunity to make crucial self-defeating errors.

8. Live in the present: A warrior has reconciled the past, prepares for the future, but remains firmly entrenched in the present moment. A warrior does not see present experiences in the light of past experiences. Seeing the present through the eyes of the past is a way of remaining in the world of illusion. This is akin to viewing a sunset. Each one is different from the ones before it. Comparing the one being viewed now with past sunsets may detract from a warrior’s ability to fully experience it.

9. Reflection: A warrior has to be able to analyze him/herself objectively and to think in a rational manner when engaging in a discussion and be willing to admit his/her own mistakes.

10. Awakening: chillax with your fellow warriors at the Castle. trying to be too flashy suggests instability. Rushing to judgement gets you nowhere fast. Promoting yourself reveals your insecurity. A wise warrior knows that trying to appear brilliant is certainly not enlightened. In his book, Shambala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chogyam Trungpa defines warrior as "one who is brave". Bravery, among many things, also involves a willingness to let your defenses be exposed so we can open more fully to life. In Trungpa`s words, discovering fearlessness comes from working with the softness of the heart. So in that spirit, resolve to chillax, learn, and grow stronger from your interactions with your fellow warriors at the castle.

11. Alliance of the Warriors: Consider yourself, each of you, as a warrior with only one wing. And you can only fly if you embrace each other. This is consistent with what the great warrior king, king Leonidas, also believed. He said that in the final analysis, we are only as good as the warrior next to us.

When two warriors move in the same direction, they forge a much deeper bond, based on encouraging each other to honor the sacred presence and basic goodness within them. This often proves to be an unbeatable combination in any battle. Then and only then can these warriors really appreciate their connection for what it is---an alliance of warriors. The castle is an alliance of warriors.

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If it's but only a dream
And things are not what they seem
Let's go on and fight
For that which is right

Manuel "Pfloyd"

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Prediction Warriors Contest (PWC) - Rules & Info

- please submit your prediction of the winner of each match in the daily OOP once it's posted in this thread AND PM Strunz with your prediction list as well, submissions are not accepted once the first match of the day has started.

- you are allowed to edit your post as long as the first match hasn't started yet.

- your participation will be nullified if your post has been edited after the start of the first match for any reason (even typo).

- post the full score of the matches chosen under the "tie-break matches" tag, these scores decide the winner in case two contestants were tied.

- the score is decided in the following manner (according to order of priority) :

- if two or more contestants were still tied after the tie-break matches, the prize is divided between them and all are declared winners.

- a match result would count as long as one set has been completed, if either player retired before the completion of the first set, the match is abandoned, the same is applied to W.O.

- a one set match would be counted as a straight sets win, that is if a participant predicted the win in straights and others gave set(s) to the retiring player, the winner would be the one who predicted the straight sets win.

- everyone is welcome to participate and not just regular posters in the Castle.

- results are announced and vcash is given as soon as possible (usually on a daily basis).

- rules are subject to changes without prior notice and additional rules may be applied circumstantially.

good luck and have fun!

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Castle Contests Relief Fund (CCRF)

as members of the Castle know, we hold vcash prediction contests named Prediction Warriors Contest (PWC) for the big tournaments on a daily basis, and we give vcash awards to the winner(s) everyday, to allow the competitions to run smoothly we now announce that the Castle accepts donations for the cause, feel free to donate to Strunz and your name will be added to the donators list "Hall of Fame" in this post, thanks in advance, we appreciate your help

Action Jackson (GWH/PMK/George): MTF Godfather and the one with the most posts, fan of Gaudio, Hernandez, Horna and clay court tennis.Arend: master of catch-phrases, funny as hell, Nole fan.Arkulari: (FKA MrsFedex) Nat from Spain, avid Archer and proud Fedal supporter and leader of the THERE'S NO GOAT campaign.arm: Raquel from Portugal, huge Nole fangirl.bad gambler: hugely generous donator, Fed fan(?)Babolat - Dan: Dan from UK.Betty: Betty from near Milan, Italy, all for Muzza (and her general Joh)~*BGT*~: Daniella from France/USA, lover of Roddick and many Frenchies.biological: Sophie from the UK, fan of Federer and Tipsarevic among others.Bonnie the Cat (FKA: Stupid Dream): Karin from Utrecht, Netherlands, in love with Fedal.cath777: Catherine from Canada, fan of Roger among other players.Certinfy: Jason from the UK, fan of Murray and Del Potro among others.Clay Death: The Destroyer from Mississippi, Lord of the Castle, big fan of Clay Court tennis and Nadal the Clay Monster.Cloudygirl: Tori from the UK, big fan of Gasquet and Rafa.cobalt60: Doctor Sue.Commander Data: Tom from Switzerland, Federer fan.Corey Feldman (AKA Escude): Mikey from Scotland, big Fed and Muzza fan, future General in progress.Ditherless (FKA Sapeod/DCM): Daniel from Gress, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, fan of Muzza, Federer and Montanes among others, one of only 2 posters to escape a perma ban, returns on 30th May.DrJules: Julian from the U.K., big fan of Murray.EnriqueIG8: Javier, a Federer fan.EternalxJourney: Val from NYC, USA, fan of Roger.finishingmove: Arsen the ever Noletard.gio: Maja from the USA(?), Nole fan among others (including Rafa and Roger).Groove Dude (FKA Blaze-2006): Jonathan from Spain, fan of Rafa among other players.habibko: Habib from Jeddah, SA, big fan of Roger.Harmless (formerly Nastasya): Maya from Croatia, mistress of slash fandom, Federer and Muller rock her world.Har-Tru(AKA:Strunz): José from Spain, avid fan of Wawrinka and tennis of the good ol' days.Heners: Teenage aussie boy, fan of Nadal, Sampras and Agassi.HeretiC: MTF official tennis match analyzer, Nalby fan.icecastle: Lynn a Gasqueteer from New York. icedevil0289: Usha the PWC GOAT, Fedevic (Fed+Nole) fan, she is awesome and cute and pretty and everything good in the world (hopefully I'll be spared now....)Jewels: Lindy from the UK, fan of Rafa.JolánGagó: Alex from Spain, big fan of Rafa.jonathancrane: Jonathan(?) no more description until he starts coming more often lolLemon Custard: Amy from Sydney, Australia. Richard Gasquet fan. leng jai: Adrian from Melbourne, Australia, biggest Haasitard in the history of the universe and admirer of backhand slices and volleys.LinkMage: Gonzalo from Argentina, in love with Fed and vcash.*Ljubica*: Rose from London, the biggest Nole fangirl in MTF, and very proud of it too!lurker: Vicki, fan of Nadal, Djokovic and Hewitt, also likes Ferrer, retired favs are Rafter and Kuerten.MacTheKnife: Glen from the USA, avid McEnroe fan who still enjoys watching tennis.marina36: Marina from France, our resident Gasquetaire.mimi: Mimi(?) from Hong Kong, China, Rafa fan.miura: Martin from Trondheim, Norway, Roger fan.Nathaliia: Nathalia from Wroclaw(?), Poland.Nidhogg: Josef from Sweden.Noleta: Noleta. A Djokovic fan from Germany. Pfloyd: Manuel from the US - Florida.Saxoner: Matt from Canada, Roger fan, in his own words: "The Newbie that knows nothing, yet", don't worry Matt you'll get the hang of this place really fast!ShotmaKer: Djou from Madagascar, fan of Federer, Rafter and Edberg.Start da Game: Shankar from India, big fan of Nadal and Sampras.sunnysmydelite: Jen from NYC, USA, big fan of Gasquet and Hewitt.tangerine_dream: Tangy the big Roddick fan.trickcy: Lekha from India, fan of Federer.Thanos (FKA wacked82): David from (?)Yiyo: Javier from Madrid, Spain, fan of Nadal, Ferrero, Lalo and Hernandez.zeleni: Nole fan.

note: only the top 8 warriors in the race will be allowed to participate in the World Tour Finals (WTF) PWC at the end of the season, if more than 8 people qualified (ex. 2 1st place, 4 2nd place, 4 3rd place) , I'll hold a special PWC to determine the ones who qualify for PWC WTF around the end of the season.

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If I could be anything other what I am, I'd want it tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that too. If I could be what you want me to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.

A true warrior is someone who strives to be the best they can be at all things (living life to its fullest) and not necessarily as someone who has prowess in the physical/martial arts of battle, but also in the arts of the psychological, mental and spiritual so that one may have the discipline to change our own behaviour to that of living honourable and in a sacred manner.

A person who lives with honour is noble.

A warrior is someone who lives to a strict code of honour AND lives life to the fullest in full awareness and without fear of the unpredictable nature of life and of the constant presence of death.

Death is not to be seen as something to be feared but only another part of the journey and therefore as with all things it is to be faced with honour.

in the Castle we draw inspiration from the great King Leonidas who has achieved immortality by his true warrior spirit that he showed for his country and his people.

one of his inspiring quotes for all ages:

"In the end, a warrior's true strength is the warrior next to him. So give respect and honor to him, and it will be returned to you. First, you fight with your head."

here is a list of our great Castle's Warriors:

Clay Death the Destroyer

Lead Warrior, All Infantry Units

Residence:

habibko the Arab Otaku

Residence:

jonathancrane the Absent

Residence:

JolánGagó the Pepe

Residence:

miura the Viking

Residence:

Ditherless the ACC Martyr

Residence:

Bonnie the Cat the Musical Fedal

Residence:

*Ljubica* the Cat Lady

Residence:

MacTheKnife the Cannot Be Serious

Residence:

Strunz the Court-Surfaces Master

Residence:

Pfloyd the Anarchist

Residence:

icedevil0289 the PWC GOAT

Residence:

Arkulari the Archer Princess

Residence:

Betty the 2009 Popularity Contest Winner

Residence:

Harmless the Slash Designer

Residence:

Cloudygirl the Clumsy Gasqueteer

Residence:

Certinfy the Dark One

Residence:

Start da Game the Fellow Warrior

Residence:

__________________
If I could be anything other what I am, I'd want it tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that too. If I could be what you want me to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.

"Mercilessly we plow the dust of stars, blown about us by the swift desert wind as we drink the universe in a glass of rain. And we, the ultimate masters of the battlefield, take anything that we rest our eyes on."

__________________
If I could be anything other what I am, I'd want it tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that too. If I could be what you want me to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.

Hello everyone and welcome to The Castle!! Volume 27 is now officially open! Happy chatting!!

Mods, if you could please move us to the chat section, where we usually live, that would be awesome! Thanks!

__________________
If I could be anything other what I am, I'd want it tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that too. If I could be what you want me to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.

You need to change strunz back to Har-tru unless he's changed his name again

btw first

I changed it the list when I posted it but I'll do the others later. Stop changing your names people, it's annoying.

__________________
If I could be anything other what I am, I'd want it tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that too. If I could be what you want me to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.